COLUMBUS — The Marietta Times has won multiple reporting and design awards in the 2023 Ohio Media Editors of the Year competition.
The Ohio News Media Association, which represents all Ohio newspapers, held its 2023 convention in May in Columbus.
Ohio Associated Press media editors honor important journalism with annual awards. This year’s competition included five sections in more than 25 categories, including general excellence.
The Times won six awards in total, including newspaper awards, business group and sports awards. The newspaper competes in the First Division category, which is a daily newspaper with a circulation of 7,999 copies.
Executive Editor Christina Mayer won third place for Best Editorial Writer for her high achievement, dedication to the craft of editorial writing, and Best Public Service for her story in the Marietta Times Regional Spelling Bee.
“I’m proud of our newsroom team, but the awards are no surprise.” Mayer said. “I’m fortunate to witness every day how hard they work for our readers.”
The Times’ Sports Section took third place for Best Special Sports Section to Preview the 2022 Pigskin. The Best Special Sports Section award is given to any section that deals with sports or entertainment, such as a special section on a high school basketball tournament, a preview of a professional football season, or Looking forward to hunting season.
Staff reporter Evan Bivens won first place for best news coverage for his story on the Reno plane crash. The Best Breaking News Coverage award is given for coverage of a breaking news event that could not have been planned.
“Our goal first and foremost is to provide our readers with accurate and timely information, both online and in print.” Bivins said.
Internet Director, Commercial Print Coordinator and Associate Director of News and Sentinel Race, Art Smith, won second place for Best Full Page Design.
“It’s always nice to win awards, as it’s recognition that we serve our readers with compelling information that helps area residents be more aware of the world around them.” Smith said.
Bivins and Smith, in a collaborative effort, also won first place for Best Digital Presence for their online work for The Marietta Times website.
The Best Digital Presence award recognizes the newspaper’s complete digital presentation, including content, overall appearance, ease of navigation, success in building an online audience and whether the site appears to be a valuable resource for the community.
“Congratulations to our newsroom team here at The Marietta Times.” said Times Publisher Jim Spanner. “Our readers expect and deserve a quality local newspaper, and our award-winning staff works hard every day to produce that.”
(tags for translation) Business